Refrigerator crisper



Dec. 18, 1951 ow L 2,579,335

REFRIGERATOR CBISPER Filed Aug. 51, 1949 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 YNVENTOR. 5 49 GEORGE L. Po WNALL Dec. 18, 1951 PQWNALL 2,579,335

REFRIGERATOR CRISPER 3 Sheefs-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 31, 1949 INVENTOR GEORGE L. POWNALL BY W Abi s.

Patented Dec. 18, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE REFRIGERATOR CRISPER George L. Pownall, Cincinnati, Ohio Application August'31,1949, Serial No. 113,338 "6 Claims. (01'. 62-80) This invention relates to closed containers for use iii-refrigerators, the closed containers being of the type usually referred toas "crispers" orhydrators and being adapted for storin fresh vegetables or the like in a humid atmosphere. Moreparticularly. this invention relates to a device for the proper and more healthful preservation of fresh food stuffs in the so-called household mechanical refrigerators, and more specifically to the closed containers as currently being usedfor the storage of fresh vegetables and fruits, commercially known as crispers. hydrators humidrawers, etc.

In the past, and also present day, manufac turers of household m chanical refrigerators have furnished portable closed containers for the storage of fresh vegetables and fruits within the refrigerator cabinet. The occasion call ing for the use of these closed containers is the well knownfact that the mechanical units dry out and dehumidify the food products, accordingly, they have resorted to a closed contamer attempting to. overcome this objection.

This applies to all mechanical refrigerators. whether of the type with the evaporator suspended within the cabinet, or those having evaporator coils built-in within the walls of the cabinet, which are commercially known as cold wall refrigerators,- and this invention is applicable to either and all types of mechanical refrigerators.

With the "adoption.- of the closed container the manufacturer, or supplier, created a very unhealthy situation for the storage of these fresh food products, as confinedair within the container it resulted in further dehydration of the fresh food stuifs as indicated by droplets of water" extracted from the food stuffs and appearing on the underside of the closed container cover lid.

It is a purpose of this invention to overcome and eliminate this unhealthy situation, and to positively remove bacteria from within the closed container food compartment to remove the pollution of the bacteria infested air by supply.- ing cleansed, washed. humidified and thermally circ la ed ir o create, a fre her air condition.

Another obje t is the external application of; required refrigerating efi ect to the closed container while simultaneously setting upinternally of the container a thermal flow of air currents to purify the air contained therein. 7

Another object is the flow of cleansed, washed, humidified air between the food storage compartment and the air conditioning chamber of the closed container.

Another object is the internal isolation and entrapment within the closed container of the polluted meltage water resulting from the air cleansing action.

Another object is the elimination of foul, stagnant air conditions ordinarily found in closed containers. g Another object is the absorption of the foul, polluted air and gases as given off by the food stuffs in the closed container.

Another object is the elimination of wastage and losses of food products stored in the closed container.

Another object is the provision of a simple and expedient apparatus for attaining the above objects. 7

. The conventional crisper is kept moist or humid by the water extracted from the contents of the crisper. It is therefore a further object of this invention to provide means for supplying added moisture to the crisper in order to maintain a humid atmosphere therein.

Briefly, this invention provides a, crisper which is divided by an upright partition into a main or storage compartment and a secondary or humidifying compartment. The humidifying compartment in turn may be divided into up'-' per and lower compartments orrsections. The upper section serves as an ice holder and the lower as. a sealed isolated water trap section. In the upper section of the humidifier compartment, ice particles such as the conventional ice cubes formed in a mechanical refrigerator may be placed. The upper section of the humidifier compartment and the main compartment of the crisper are in communication so that air can circulate between the compartments. However, the lower section of the hu.-.

' midifier compartment is isolated from. the uppersection thereof and from the main com.- partrnent. Ice meltage drains into the lower section or the. humidifier compartment where it, is segregated from. the; rest of the crisper and accumulates until. discharged. The meltage absorbs the pollution, andv noxiousodors which otherwise, would be, present in the. air within: the crisper remoyes, these. undesirable and heinous materials from the; an: while-condom Fig. 2 is a perspective view, partly broken away and in section, of the crisper illustrated in Fig.1;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the lower portion or box of the crisper illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 with the cover lid removed;

Fig. 4 is a view in section taken along line IV-IV in Fig. 3, the crisper being shown with ice cubes in the upper section of the humidifying or air conditioning compartment;

Fig. 5 is a view in section taken along line V-V in Fig. 3;

Fig. 6 is a view in section taken along line VI-VI in Fig. 5 with the cover lid shown in position;

Fig. 7 is a view in section showing a crisper constructed in accordance with a second embodiment of this invention; and

Fig. 8 is a view in section showing a crisper constructed in accordance with a third embodiment of this invention. 1 V

In the following detailed description and the drawings, like reference characters indicate like parts. p

In Fig. 1 is shown a mechanically cooled refrigerator l0, which may be of conventional type, having a freezing unit l2. A crisper I3 is placed on a lower shelf of the refrigerator ID.

As shown in Fig. 2, the crisper 13 includes a lower section or compartment which is shaped as an open-topped box or chamber having end walls I6, side walls I! and I8 and a bottom I9. A top or cover 2| fits over and closes the open top of the crisper chamber. The top 2| is provided with handles 22 at opposite, ends for raising the top from the lower portion I 4. Finger grips 23 are provided at opposite ends of the box for lifting the crisper from the refrigerator as a unit. A downwardly depending fiange 24 on the top fits on a peripheral shoulder 29 about the lower portion of the crisper to form a substantially airtight seal between the top and the lower portion or chamber of the crisper. The crisper and top may be formed of anysuitable material such as glass, plastic material, or porcelain, or the crisper may be constructed of dissimilar materials, such as glass for the top cover lid and porcelain for the main bottom box-like struc-' ture, likewise, the means of seating the cover lid on the box-like bottom structure may be by other means to attain a relatively air tight enclosure, such as a bevel seat.

A lengthwise partition 27 divides the lower boxlike portion of the crisper into a main storage or food containing compartment 28 and a smaller humidifier compartment adjacent and along the side wall !1. Thepartition 21 and the adjacent side and end walls are provided with inclined or beveled seats 3|, 32, and 32 (Figs. 2 and 4) respectively, which are disposed approximately midway between the bottom wall of the crisper and the top thereof. A transverse partition 33 (Figs. 2 and 4) rests on the beveled seats 3|, 32 and 32'- dividing the humidifier compartment into 4 an upper ice-holding section 34 and a lower meltage receiving section 36. The transverse partition 33 forms a substantial seal between the sections of the humidifier compartment. Upright ribs 31 on the transverse partition support ice particles, or cubes, while meltage from the ice particles drains through a tube 39 that depends from the transverse partition.

The tube 39 extendsinto a ;well formed by a 'U-shaped partition 4| which is attached to the side wall I! and to the bottom of the lower humidifier section. A liquid trap is formed in the well as soon as enough meltage is formed to fill the well to above the bottom of the tube as shown most clearly in Fig. 4. Further meltage fills the well until it overflows into the lower section 38 of the humidifier compartment.

,The main partition 21 is apertured, as indicated at 42 above thebeveled seat 3|, and, as shown in Fig. 6, the partition 21 terminates below the cover of the crisper so that air from the main compartment can pass over the ice particles. Ice meltage from the particles picks up noxious odor bearing materials from the air in the storage compartment and isolates such noxious materials in the lower humidifier section. This action in'washing and purifyin air and removing bacteria therefrom is explained in greater detail in my Patent 2,527,571, issued Oct. 31, 1950.

The operation of the crisper will be evident from the foregoing detailed description and the drawings. y p

The crisper is assembled and ice is placed in the upper section of the humidifier compartment while vegetables and the like may be stored in the main compartment 28. The ice can be replenished as it melts until such time as it is necessary to empty meltage from the humidifier compartment. When the humidifier compartment is to be emptied, the top 2i is removed and the humidifier compartment transverse partition 33 is lifted free by means of a handle 43, whereupon meltage can be poured out and the crisper reassembled.

As will be understood, other types of liquid traps may be substituted for the traps shown in Figs. 2 to 6 inclusive. In Fig.7 is shown a crisper having another form of trap. The crisper shown in Fig. 7 includes a main or box portion 45 divided by a partition 46 into a food storage compartment and a minor humidifying or air conditioning compartment. A transverse partition 47 in' the humidifying compartment is adapted'to support ice particles. The partition 41 carries a gooseneck pipe or trap 48 that discharges ice meltage into the lower section of the humidifying compartment where the melt: age is. isolatedfrom the air which can come in contact with food in the storage compartment.

.In Fig. 8, a crisper is illustrated which is substantially similar to the crispers shown in the other drawings with the exception that it includes no mechanical trap for the ice meltagc. Instead, a transverse partition 49 is provided having alternate rows of ribs 5| and small drainage holes 52, the holes being of such size as to retain droplets of meltagewater as long as ice chunks 53 are present and melting upon the transverse partition. The droplets gravitate to the section below the transverse partition as the ice melts, but between drops there is a tendency for the small holes 52 to retain some of the meltage for sealing purposes. Isolation of the o taminated meltage is thereby achieved'in a satisfactory manner. In other respects, the unit shown in Fig. 8 may be similar to those shown in the other drawings.

The ice serves to keep air in the crisper humid and fresh, for it maintains humidity in the crisper without removing moisture from the contents thereof, and meltage from the ice removes noxious materials given off by the contents of the crisper and isolates these materials in the enclosed lower section of the humidiiying compartment. In addition, the ice cools the air as the air passes over the ice, causing the air to circulate through the food storage compartment and the upper section of the humidifier compartment.

In the foregoing detailed description and the drawings, the crisper has been described and shown as a portable unit, but it is to be understood that the crisper could be a built-in feature provided arrangements are made for evacuating the polluted meltage water.

The crisper of this invention is subject to other structural modification without departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

Having described my invention, what I claim as novel and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A refrigerator crisper which comprises an open-topped box, a substantially air-tight lid for said box, an upright main partition in said box dividing the box into a storage compartment and a humidifier compartment, a transverse partition in the humidifier compartment dividing the humidifier compartment in to a lower enclosed Water trap section and an upper ice holding section, the partition in the humidifier compartment being adapted to support ice particles, the upper part of the main partition being apertured to permit circulation of air between the storage compartment and the upper section of the humidifier compartment, a conduit for discharging ice meltage from the upper section of the humidifier compartment to the lower section thereof, and a Water-sealing trap between the sections of the humidifier compartment to isolate the meltage in the lower section from air in the upper section of said humidifier and from the storage compartment.

2. A refrigerator crisper in accordance with claim 1 characterized by the fact that the partition between sections of the humidifier compartment is removable, that a tube depends from the humidifier compartment partition and is adapted to drain meltage from the upper section of the humidifier compartment, and'that the tube is adapted to extend substantially to the bottom of the box to form a trap adapted to be sealed by water in the lower section of the humidifier compartment.

3. A refrigerator crisper in accordance with claim 1 characterized by the fact that the partition between sections of the humidifier compartment is removable, that a tube depends from the humidifier compartment partition and is adapted to drain meltage from the upper section of the humidifier compartment, that a well extends upwardly from the bottom of the box inside the lower section of the humidifier compartment, that the tube is adapted to extend into the well to form a trap between sections of the humidifier compartment adapted to be sealed by water in the well, and that the well is open at its upper end to permit meltage to overflow from the well into the lower section of the humidifier compartment.

4. A refrigerator crisper which comprises a hollow box, an upright main partition in said box dividing the box into a storage compartment and a humidifier compartment, a transverse partition in the humidifier compartment dividing the humidifier compartment into a lower enclosed water trap section and an upper ice holding section, means in the ice holding section for supporting particles of ice, the upper part of the main partition being apertured to permit circulation of air between the storage compartment and the upper section of the humidifier compartment, means for discharging ice meltage from the upper section of the humidifier compartment to the lower section thereof, and a water-sealing trap between the sections of the humidifier compartment to isolate the meltage in the lower section from air in the upper section of the humidifier compartment and in the storage compartment.

5. A refrigerator crisper which comprises a hollow open-topped box, a substantially air-tight lid for said box, an upright main partition in said box dividing the box into a storage compartment and a humidifier compartment, a transverse partition in the humidifier compartment dividing the humidifier compartment into a lower enclosed Water trap section and an upper ice holding section, the storage compartment and the upper section of the humidifier compartment being in communication to permit circulation of air therebetween, means for discharging ice meltage from the upper section of the humidifier compartment to the lower section thereof, and a water-sealing trap between the sections of the humidifier compartment to isolate the meltage in the lower section from air in the upper section of the humidifier compartment and in the storage compartment.

6. A refrigerator crisper which comprises a hollow open-topped main box, a substantially airtight lid for said box, and a humidifier box inside said main box, said humidifier box comprising a hollow lower enclosed meltage isolating section and an upper ice holding section, the upper section being in communication with the interior of the main box to permit circulation of air therebetween, means for discharging ice meltage from the upper section of the humidifier box to the lower section thereof, and a water sealing trap between sections of the humidifier box to isolate the meltage in the lower section from air in the upper section and in the main box.

GEORGE L. POWNALL.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,067,830 De Pew Jan. 12, 1937 2,132,255 Belshaw Oct. 4, 1938 2,449,132 Lucia Sept. 14, 1948 

